Post-hole digger.



R. H. VESEY.

POST HOLE BIGGER. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 18, 1908. RENEWED JUNE 21,1909.

957,128. I Patented May 3, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Mum

G Hoar/mug wmwm R. H. VESEY. I

y POST HOLE BIGGER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 18, 1908. RENEWED JUNE 21, 1909. 957,128.Patented May 3 1910.

UNITED PATENT RICHARD H. VESEY, F DENVER, COLORADO, ASSIG-NOR 'IO TRUMANE. STEVENS, OF OMAHA, NEBRASKA, AND CHRISTOPHER C. DENNY, OF CHICAGOHEIGHTS, ILLINOIS.

POST-HOLE BIGGER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 3, 19111 Application filed March 18, 1908, Serial No.421,955. Renewed June 21, 1909. Serial No. 503,424.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Rrormnn H. VESEY, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city and county of Denver and State of Colorado, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Post-Hole Diggers; and Ido declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of referencemarked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in post-hole diggers, my objectbeing to provide a thoroughly practicable construction for digging postholes, the device working somewhat upon the auger principle, having,however, but a single cutter located at the bottom of the rotary handleor shaft. In my improved construction the cutter device is looselymounted at the lower extremity of the shaft and immediately above acentering point with which the lower extremity of the shaft isconnected. Made fast to the shaft a short distance above the cutterdevice, is an actuating blade which engages stops formed on the cutterdevice, whereby when the shaft is turned in one direction, the actuatingblade rotates the cutter. When, however, it is desired to clean out thedirt from the hole, theshaft is given a quarter turn in the reversedirection, whereby the spaces between the two members of the cutter, areclosed thus enabling the user to lift the entire dirt contents out ofthe hole.

Having briefly outlined my improved construction, I will proceed todescribe the same in detail reference being made to the accompanyingdrawing in which is illustrated an embodiment thereof.

In this drawing, Figure l is a top plan view of my improved device shownin the cutting or digging position, the hollow shaft being shown insection. In this view the unnumbered arrow indicates the direction ofmovement for digging purposes. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing anactuating blade after given a quarter turn in the reverse direction orthe direction indicated by the unnumbered arrow. When in this positionthe device is adjusted to remove the dirt from the hole. Fig. 3 is a topplan View showing the actuating blade only in place, the hollow shaft orhandle being shown in cross section. Fig. 4 is a top plan view in detailof the cutter. Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 55 Fig. 1. Fig. 6is an elevation looking in the direction of arrow 6 Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is anelevation showing the complete device on a smaller scale.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the views.

Let the numeral 5 designate a shaft preferably hollow and provided atits upper extremity with a suitable operating handpiece 6. The lowerextremity of this shaft is connected with a cone-shaped centering point7, the upper extremity of the latter being provided with a threadedsocket in which the threaded lower extremity of the shaft is inserted.Loosely mounted upon the shaft immediately above the point 7 and restingon a shoulder 8 at the top of the point, is the cutter device 9 whichconsists of a central collar 10 provided with two outwardly projectingsegments 12 which are also deflected upwardly as shown in Fig. 5 andturned abruptly upwardly to form hole shaping projections thereon, asbest illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7. To one edge of each of thesesegments, is attached a downwardly inclined cutter blade 13 so that whenthe tool is in use for digging purposes and turning in the directionindicated by the arrows in Figs. 1 and 4, the forward edge of eachsegment 12 is provided with a blade 13 which as before stated isdownwardly inclined from its member 12 and so positioned as to have atendency to move downwardly into the earth as it is rotated with thehollow shaft. This cutter is provided with two upwardly projecting pins14 forming stops, the same being located on opposite sides of the centerof the cutter which has an opening 15 to allow the cutter to slip overthe shaft 5 and rest upon the shoulder of the cone-shaped point 7Mounted slightly above the cutter, is an actuating device 16 which issecured to the hollow shaft 5. As shown in the drawing (see Fig. 5) thelower portion of the shaft is provided with a sort of ferrule 17 havingan outwardly turned flange 18 which is fastened to the central. part ofthe member 16 by rivets 19. This actuating device has two segmentalmembers 20 extending outwardly from its central portion surrounding theshaft. The members 20 also extend slightly upwardly from the shaft asthey extend outwardly, in order to harmonize with the position of "thesegments 12 of the cutter.

When the device is in use for digging purposes, the relative position ofthe members 9 and 16 is as shown in Fig. 1, that is to say wit-h theforward edge of each segment 20, in contact with one of the stops 1% ofthe cutter 9. Then as the shaft 5 is turned in the cutting direction orthat indicated by the unnumbered arrow in Fig. 1, the cutter 9 iscarried along with the hollow shaft whereby the blades 13 are forceddownwardly into the earth. This operation is continued, until the cutterhas descended a suitable depth or loosened a sufficient amount of earthto require the removal of the latter. As soon as this is necessary, theactuating device 16 is given a quarter turn in the reverse direction orthat indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2, thus closing the openings betweenthe members 12 of the cutter. The operator then pulls upwardly upon theshaft thus removing the latter and its attachments and carrying theloose dirt out of the hole. The device is again inserted and theoperation continued as often as may be necessary during the digging ofthe hole.

hen the shaft and the actuating device 16 are given a quarter turn inthe reverse direction as above explained, the members 20 of the saiddevice are again brought in contact with the stops let of the cutterdevice which limit the movement of the actuating device in the rear aswell as in the forward direction, whereby the segments 20 of theactuating device when reversed as aforesaid are maintained in the properposition to fill the spaces between the segments 12 of the cutterdevice.

It will be understood that it is important during the digging operation,for the spaces between the members 12 of the cutter device to be open orunobstructed above, in order that the dirt loosened by the cutterblades, may pass upwardly above the cutter and actuating devices. hen,however, it is desired to remove the dirt from the hole, and the shaftis moved in the reverse direction as heretofore described, the cutterremains stationary since the inclined cutter blades are embedded in theearth and any tendency of the cutter device to move in the reversedirection with the actuating device, is overcome by the incline of thecutter blades which would make it necessary that the said blades liftthe entire quantity of dirt above the cutter in order to have the lattermove in the reverse direction. Hence the cutter device remainsstationary since the friction between the operating shaft and the saiddevice is comparatively small and consequently more than overcome by theresistance offered by the incline of the cutter blades, to the reversemovement of the cutter device.

The inner extremity A of each cutterblade 13, is lowermost, the bladebeing inclined both downwardly from the segment- 12 and also downwardlyfrom the outer edge of the blade, whereby the point A of each blade isthe first to enter the dirt, thus making the downward movement of thedigger into the earth automatic assuming that the shaft 5 is rotated. Asshown in the drawing these points A are located relatively near thelongitudinal center or axis of the shaft and hence the movement of thecutter blade into the earth may be said to be from its inner extremityoutwardly on account of the downward incline from the outer edge of theblade.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A post-hole digger, comprising a shaft provided at its lowerextremity with a centering point, a cutter loosely mounted on the shaft,an actuating closure fast on the shaft, adjacent the cutter, the cutterand closure being dish-shaped, their outer free edges being highest,while the said members slope gradually downwardly the entire distancefrom their free outer edges to the shaft, and an interlocking connectionbetween the cutter and the actuating device, whereby as the shaft isturned, the cutter is actuated, the cutter being equipped with a bladebent downwardly from its body portion, substantially as described.

2. A post hole digger, comprising a shaft, a cutter, loosely mounted onthe lower part of the shaft and composed of two separated segments,whose outer free edges are highest, the said segments sloping graduallydownwardly the entire distance from their free outer edges to the shaft,each segment having a blade downwardly inclined from one of itsextremities, and an actuating device fast on the shaft above the cutter,the said device being also composed of two separated segmental members,of such area as to approximately close the spaces between the twomembers of the cutters, when the shaft is properly adjusted, the saidactuating device sloping downwardly from its free outer edge which ishighest toward the shaft, and means for interlocking the actuatingdevice, and the cutter, whereby as the shaft and the said device arerotated, the cutter is carried therewith, substantially as described.

3. A post-hole digger, comprising a shaft, a cutter device, mounted onthe lower extremity of the shaft and composed of two segmental members,both members sloping gradually downwardly the entire distance from theirfree outer edges to the shaft, each member having a downwardly inclinedblade for cutting purposes, a second device mounted on the shaft andalso composed of two segmental members, one of the said devices beingfast on the shaft and the other device loose thereon, the second devicealso sloping gradually downwardly from its free outer edge, which ishighest, corresponding with the incline of the segmental cuttingmembers, and an interlocking connection between the two devices, wherebythe turning of the shaft actuates the cutter, substantially asdescribed.

4. A post-hole digger, comprising a shaft, a cutter loosely mounted onthe lower portion of the shaft and composed of two separated segments,an actuating device fast on the shaft above the cutter, the latter beingprovided with two upwardly projecting stops located on opposite sides ofthe axis, of the shaft, the said stops being located in the path of theactuating device, when the shaft is r0- tated in either direction,whereby as the shaft is rotated for digging purposes, the cutter iscarried along with the shaft and the actua ting device, the latter beingallowed a limited movement in a direction the reverse of the movementfor cutting purposes, whereby the segments of the actuating device maybe brought into register with the spaces between the segments of thecutter, the cutter and actuating device being highest at their outerfree edges, from which they slope gradually downwardly the entiredistance to the shaft, substantially as described.

5. A post-hole digger, comprising a shaft and cutter mounted on theshaft and composed of a body portion, whose outer free edge is highest,from which the cutter slopes gradually downwardly the entire distance tothe shaft, and a cutter blade with which the body portion is provided,the said blade being downwardly inclined from the body portion of thecutter, and also from the outer edge of the blade.

6. A post-hole digger, comprising a shaft and a cutter mounted thereon,the latter being composed of a body portion, having its outer free edgehighest, from which the cutter slopes gradually downwardly the entiredistance to the shaft, and a cutter blade with which the body portion isprovided, the blade being downwardly inclined from the body portion, andhaving a comparatively narrow inner extremity forming the lowest part ofthe blade, or that which is adapted to first enter the earth at thebeginning of the digging operation, the said blade being also downwardlyinclined from its outer edge toward the said inner extremity,substantially as described.

7. A post-hole digger comprising a shaft provided at its lower extremitywith a centering point having a shoulder, a cutter loosely mounted onthe shaft and supported by the said shoulder, the said cutter beingprovided 011 its outer edge with upwardly turned hole-shapingprojections, and an actuating device fast on the shaft above the cutterfor the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I afix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RICHARD H. VESEY.

W'itnesses:

DENA NELSON, A. J. OBRIENa

